Evolution of Senior Living: Background, History, and Present Trends in 2022

• By Jean Nesian
• May 5, 2023

Senior living is an essential component of our society. In recent years, senior living communities have evolved dramatically. A good environment of care and services is a growing need that providers across the nation must address soon. The number of elderly in their 80s and beyond is only expected to quadruple by the year 2037.

Senior Living Types

Assisted living –  Type of senior housing designed for adults who require varying degrees of medical and personal assistance in a home-like atmosphere that encourages independence.

Dementia/memory care – Assisted living residences for individuals with dementia/Alzheimer’s. 

Continuing care retirement communities (CCRC) — There are many degrees of help available, beginning with independent living and proceeding to assisted living and skilled nursing (formerly known as nursing homes).

History  Of Senior Living

44 BC – “On Old Age,” a work written by Cicero, is about aging.

1025 – The “Canon of Medicine,” an Arabic document, is the first known text discussing medical treatment for the elderly.

1100s-1700s – Aging and the old have been seen in a variety of ways, ranging from “evil” during the Dark Ages to respect during the Age of Enlightenment.

1713- The “Friends’ Almhouse of Philadelphia,” one of the first institutions particularly established to care for the aged, is founded.

Mid-1800s – Religious organizations established charitable institutions for seniors

1817 – The “Indigent Widows and Single Women’s Society” is founded to care for an increasing number of destitute and elderly women who have lost their spouses.

1853 – Civil Army pensions become the first significant pension scheme in the United States, caring for Union war soldiers 

1900– Aging is first recognized as a social issue distinct from illness, with poverty among the senior population being of particular concern.

1935 – The Social Security Act is enacted in reaction to the Great Depression, which caused half of the senior population to be impoverished

1950- The private nursing home business begins to grow this year and will quadruple to more than 500,000 by 1965.

1960-1976 – The number of nursing care beds offered grows by 302 percent in 16 years.

1965 – President Lyndon B. Johnson signs Medicare and Medicaid into law.

1968 – The Moss Amendments impose government control on the nursing home business, resulting in the growth of national nursing care chains.

1974 – Connecticut establishes the first hospice organization in the United States to handle end-of-life care.

1981 – The first nationally recognized assisted living organization is established, with a focus on residents’ privacy and freedom.

2011 – Present – With the first Baby Boomers turning 65, the “Retirement Wave” begins.

Present Trends in Senior Living 2022

• 29 million Americans, or 9% of the population, are caring for someone over the age of 74.
• Some organizations allow individuals to stay in assisted living facilities as they age and adapt to residents’ changing needs and capacities.
• With almost 10,000 Americans turning 65 every day, the number of seniors in need of specialized housing will only grow, highlighting the significance of affordable housing alternatives.
• The senior industry will also experience a growth in the demand for trained people to assist in the care of an aging population.

Our well-deserved elderly must receive high-quality care, therapies, and other services the way they desire and prefer. 

Visit us to make their lives better.